Feinberg
Northwestern Medicine | Northwestern University | Faculty Profiles

News Center

  • Categories
    • Campus News
    • Disease Discoveries
    • Clinical Breakthroughs
    • Education News
    • Scientific Advances
    • Podcast
  • Press Release
  • Media Coverage
  • Editor’s Picks
    • COVID-19
    • Cardiology
    • Cancer
    • Neurology and Neuroscience
    • Aging and Longevity
    • Artificial Intelligence in Medicine
  • News Archives
  • About Us
    • Media Contact
    • Share Your News
    • News Feeds
    • Social Media
    • Contact Us
Menu
  • Categories
    • Campus News
    • Disease Discoveries
    • Clinical Breakthroughs
    • Education News
    • Scientific Advances
    • Podcast
  • Press Release
  • Media Coverage
  • Editor’s Picks
    • COVID-19
    • Cardiology
    • Cancer
    • Neurology and Neuroscience
    • Aging and Longevity
    • Artificial Intelligence in Medicine
  • News Archives
  • About Us
    • Media Contact
    • Share Your News
    • News Feeds
    • Social Media
    • Contact Us
Home » Smoke-Free Policies Linked to Lower Heart Disease Risk
Clinical Breakthroughs

Smoke-Free Policies Linked to Lower Heart Disease Risk

By Anna WilliamsJun 8, 2018
Share
Facebook Twitter Email
mayne_headshot
Stephanie Mayne, PhD, a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Preventive Medicine, was the first author of the study published in Circulation.

Laws that ban smoking at workplaces and other public places are associated with a significantly lower risk of cardiovascular disease, even after controlling for a variety of factors, according to a new Northwestern Medicine study.

The study, published in Circulation, found that smoke-free policies in workplaces were associated with a nearly 50 percent reduction in risk among middle-aged adults, while policies for bars and restaurants were linked to a reduction of around 25 percent.

Kiarri Kershaw, PhD, MPH, assistant professor of Preventive Medicine in the Division of Epidemiology, was the senior author of the study. Stephanie Mayne, PhD, a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Preventive Medicine, was the first author.

The findings are consistent with previous studies that have demonstrated a link between smoke-free policies — which aim to decrease exposure to secondhand smoke — and a reduced risk of heart disease among the population. But the current study is the first to account for various characteristics of the study population, including participants’ health behaviors and cardiovascular risk factors, as well as geographic factors like state cigarette taxes, that could confound results.

According to the authors, the study’s findings add to the existing evidence and support the continued expansion of smoke-free policies in indoor public places.

“Our results suggest smoke-free policies may prevent cardiovascular disease among young to middle-aged adults, but much of the U.S. population is not currently covered by smoke-free policies. Only 25 states have laws banning smoking in all workplaces, bars and restaurants,” Mayne said.

Kiarri Kershaw, PHD, Preventive Medicine
Kiarri Kershaw, PhD, MPH, assistant professor of Preventive Medicine in the Division of Epidemiology, was the senior author.

In the study, the investigators linked data from participants in the CARDIA study (Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults) to state, county and local 100 percent smoke-free policies in bars and restaurants and nonhospitality workplaces. The data included 3,783 adults, both black and white, with a median follow-up of 20 years.

In ongoing research, the investigators are now examining whether smoke-free policies are associated with reductions in blood pressure among non-smokers, which may be a potential mechanism for the influence of such polices on cardiovascular disease risk.

Mayne also led a separate research project on the association between neighborhood crime rates and adverse pregnancy outcomes. The findings were published in the Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health.

“Living in a high-crime neighborhood may increase the risk of preterm birth and other adverse outcomes, through chronic stress or through limiting the ability of pregnant women in these neighborhoods to live a healthy lifestyle,” Mayne explained. Her abstract on the subject was awarded second place in the public health and social sciences research category at Feinberg’s 14th Annual Lewis Landsberg Research Day.

The CARDIA study is conducted and supported by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute in collaboration with the University of Alabama at Birmingham (HH- SN268201300025C and HHSN268201300026C), Northwestern University (HHSN268201300027C), University of Minnesota (HHSN268201300028C), Kaiser Foundation Research Institute (HHSN268201300029C), and Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine (HHSN268200900041C). CARDIA is also partially supported by the Intramural Research Program of the National Institute on Aging and an intra-agency agreement between the National Institute on Aging and National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (AG0005). Additional support was provided by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (R01- HL114091). Research reported in the publication was also supported by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health under award T32HL069771.

Cardiology Health and Lifestyle Preventive Medicine Public Health Research
Share. Facebook Twitter Email

Related Posts

Hospitals Bound to Patient Safety Rules that Aren’t all Backed by Evidence

Jun 24, 2022

Identifying Protein Interactions that Promote Cancer Growth

Jun 24, 2022

Combination Treatment May Improve Quality of Life in Kidney Cancer

Jun 23, 2022

Comments are closed.

Latest News

Hospitals Bound to Patient Safety Rules that Aren’t all Backed by Evidence

Jun 24, 2022

Identifying Protein Interactions that Promote Cancer Growth

Jun 24, 2022

Combination Treatment May Improve Quality of Life in Kidney Cancer

Jun 23, 2022

Calcium Channel Blockers May Improve Chemotherapy Response

Jun 21, 2022

Expanded Role for Calcium Channels in T-Cells

Jun 17, 2022
  • News Center Home
  • Categories
  • Press Release
  • Media Coverage
  • Editor’s Picks
  • News Archives
  • About Us
Flickr Photos
20220607_Feinberg Campus_0070
20220607_Feinberg Campus_0066
20220607_Feinberg Campus_0054
Northwestern University 2022. Photo by Jim Prisching
20220607_Feinberg Campus_0077
20220607_Feinberg Campus_0063
20220607_Feinberg Campus_0111
20220607_Feinberg Campus_0083
20220607_Feinberg Campus_0018
20220607_Feinberg Campus_0023
20220607_Feinberg Campus_0072 (2)
20220607_Feinberg Campus_0120

Northwestern University logo

Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine

RSS Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Flickr YouTube Instagram
Copyright © 2022 Northwestern University
  • Contact Northwestern University
  • Disclaimer
  • Campus Emergency Information
  • Policy Statements

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.